How to Clean Up Audio in Adobe Audition

In this walkthrough, we've shared how to clean up audio in Adobe Audition, so you can fix unpleasant clicks, pops, and background noise.

Removing Clicks and PopsAudition has a variety of built-in corrective tools, including the Auto Heal and Spot Healing Brush, and they're extremely easy to use. First, zoom in on the desired audio to find the click, pop, or unwanted artifact. The fastest way to do this is by pressing the + key until the noisy area fills the screen, and then selecting it with the Time Selection tool. Right-click on your selection, and choose "Auto Heal" (or press Ctrl/Command+U) to clean up the audio.

Once you've learned how to clean up audio in Adobe Audition, you can press the B key to select the Spot Healing Brush, which provides even more control over the waveform. If you drag over the unwanted area, Audition will launch the Spectral Frequency window, so you can perform a more nuanced edit.

Eliminating HumsIn many recording environments, you may pick up AC hums from an air conditioner, refrigerator, or other appliance. Luckily, Audition comes with a built-in Dehummer, which can quickly eliminate those distracting drones. Just choose "Effects" > "Noise Reduction/Restoration" > "Dehummer" to load the effect. Then, select a preset that matches your power source.

Using Noise Reduction ToolsLikewise, you can harness Audition's Noise Reduction effect to minimize a track's ambient noise. First, choose the Time Selection tool and drag over a section that only contains background noise (i.e. no talking or music). Go to "Effects" > "Noise Reduction / Restoration" > "Noise Reduction (process)" to load the effect.

Next, press the "Capture Noise Print" button to help Audition locate the background noise, based on the selected area. Click "Select Entire File" so that noise reduction is applied to the entire audio. Finally, experiment with the Noise Reduction sliders, and turn the effect on and off while adjusting parameters until you eliminate the ambient noise.

Repairing Clipped AudioWhen an audio waveform exceeds the 0dB limit, the peaks that exceed 0 are digitally chopped off, producing a nasty distortion. This is known as "clipping". Audition's Diagnostics panel includes a handy Declipper tool, which can remedy some of the clipping problems.

To access this tool, select "Window" > "Diagnostics" to load the Diagnostics panel, and choose the Declipper from the list. Then, click the Scan button to analyze your audio file.

All of the clipped areas will be listed separately, and if you click on an item from the list, it will be shown in the Waveform view. You can also click "Repair All" and the Declipper will try to fix every instance of clipping. In some cases, overly clipped audio (or imported audio that is already clipped) may be beyond repair.